Seven
by KooKi3
Summary: "We save kids! That's our job!" But if there's a kid who doesn't want to be saved, there's nothing much the Kids Next Door can do...unless they enlist the help of a decommissioned operative. 3/4 finally NOT a one-shot!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'll be completely honest and say that the plot is still a little hazy at this point and it's a little slow in this chapter, but I didn't want to post this before I had at least one more chapter finished, so rest assured that I'll follow through :D

There are quite a few references pulled randomly from various episodes of the show because...I'm just obsessed like that I guess. But don't worry, you don't need to have watched everything to read this :)

I also just thought I'd mention that I know sectors V and W can't be more than a few years apart, but here there's at least a nine-year difference, just so we're clear :)

I hope you enjoy this! Brownie points if you remember which episode the quote from the summary came from ;)

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><p><span>Seven<span>

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><p><em>I was only seven, but there are some things I know to be true.<em>

_It takes exactly twenty-seven steps to get from the kitchen to my room. Fifteen if you take big steps._

_My bedroom door creaks. It will give you away, no matter how hard you try to stay quiet._

_The real monsters don't hide in my closet, or under my bed. They live with us, in plain sight._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

It wasn't fair to play favourites; even as a child, Kuki would make sure that each and every one of her countless Rainbow Monkeys received equal amounts of love and attention.

And yet, when she was surrounded by the loud, pushy first-graders in their miniature classroom as they clamoured for her attention, pulling at her hair and tugging on her sweater, she couldn't help but fall for the sandy-haired girl who always sat quietly to one side, next to the window, where she would stare vacantly into space as if the real world couldn't possibly be as interesting as whatever was happening inside her head.

Sometimes, Kuki wished she could jump right in there with her, just to see what she was thinking about.

Kuki could still remember how, at the start of the semester, she had leaned down to look into the girl's bright brown eyes and asked her to introduce herself.

"I'm Sonya," the girl had murmured in the breathy, high-pitched voice that little girls managed so well. "And I'm seven years old."

She had been wearing a fairy pink sweater over a white blouse with the collar neatly turned out, a red pleated skirt and purple Mary Janes. Her blonde hair was in bunches that stuck straight out of her head, and the purple bangles on her arms clacked together when she moved. She was absolutely adorable, and Kuki, who was naturally drawn to all things cute and cuddly, had to squelch the urge to give her a big hug right there and then in case she scared her. _Maybe later_, she thought, _when she gets to know me better_.

She couldn't have known however, that little Sonya barely spoke another word for the rest of the school year.

.

It had been chilly when Kuki first started her tutorial classes, though "babysitting" would be infinitely more accurate to describe how she spent her afternoons after school watching over the first-graders as they got started on their homework, waiting for their parents to pick them up. She had smelled the faint scent of apples and rotting leaves when a breeze came through the open windows, a hint that autumn was on its way.

Now it was almost summer, and it was finally the last day of school. The air was heavy with humidity and anticipation, and the windows were closed to allow air-conditioning. Kuki kept sneaking peeks at the Rainbow Monkey watch on her wrist, willing its arms to go a bit faster. She liked her job; the hours weren't horrible and the pay wasn't too bad. And while she didn't get the teaching experience she was hoping to get - she should have known that children would never willingly sit through two more hours of school, even if she was only trying to help with their homework - at least she liked kids, and they liked her back.

Today though, Kuki's boyfriend would be waiting for her when she was done, and they would go get ice cream and plan out their week of free time before she started her summer job, though she was pretty sure she would be spending most of her time at the beach. She would definitely be needing a new bathing suit, and probably a new pair of sunglasses...and maybe some new flip flops, the glittery ones with the flowery straps she saw in the shops the other day would be _perfect_...

"MISS SANBAN!" A shrill cry cut her imaginary shopping trip short, and her eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the wailing redheaded boy standing in front of her.

"What is it, Shaunie? What's the matter?!" Kuki quickly got up from where she had zoned out in the teacher's chair and hurried around the desk to kneel in front of him, turning him this way and that to check for bruises and open cuts. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Shaunie shook his head and gave an exaggerated sniff. "No, but Margie said I draw like a boy and broke all my crayons!" He burst into a fresh wave of tears.

"But Miss Sanban," he gulped. "I _am_ a boy!"

Kuki sighed inwardly as she patted him on the back and led him back to his desk, which was covered in pieces of coloured wax and crayon wrappers. And to think she would have it easy today. Yes, it wasn't fair to play favourites, but even the most accommodating person in the world would have a hard time tolerating Margie, an obnoxious six-year-old who looked like a grasshopper with her high ponytail and huge glasses, and for whatever reason seemed to have a set agenda against all boys, and was forever trying to coerce her fellow girls into doing the same.

Kuki picked up a crayon the colour of the sunset that had luckily escaped Margie's hands and handed it to Shaunie, whose face was still glistening with tears. "Here buddy, draw me something nice while I go talk to Margie, okay?"

She waited till he gave another noisy sniff and had his head bent over a fresh piece of paper before she walked over to Margie who was by the window, trying to get Sonya's attention.

"But _Sonya_, you can't play with Lee, he's a BOY!" Margie's whiny voice could be heard halfway across the classroom.

Kuki was secretly pleased to see that Sonya made no indication that she had heard her at all; her head was turned away.

"But SONYA-" Kuki swiftly covered the last few steps and caught Margie's hand as it went sailing down toward Sonya's shoulder. In a flash of determination, Kuki decided that she was not going to let Margie disturb the quiet, resolute profile of the little creature staring out the window.

"Margie," Kuki tried sounding authorative as she looked down at Margie's beady eyes, which had been comically enlarged by her glasses. Pulling her away from Sonya, she said, "I want to talk to you please."

She felt Margie's damp hand twist from her grasp, and the girl turned to face her, furiously blinking those freakishly big eyes.

Kuki sighed audibly this time, and bent down until she was level-headed with Margie. All things considered, she was only being a kid. She hoped.

"Margie," Kuki softened her tone. "You can't go around breaking people's crayons because they're boys. That's wrong."

"But Miss Sanban, _you're_ a girl too!" Margie's hands curled into fists at her side, her feet stamped the floor. "Why are you helping boys?! Why do we even _need _boys anyway?!"

"Umm..." At this, Kuki had to backtrack a little. Somehow, saying that we would need boys to repopulate the earth in case it was taken over by a maniacal, boy-hating tyrant like you just wouldn't make the right impression.

"Erm..." Fortunately Kuki was saved by a sharp rap on the door, followed by the gruff mumble of the school janitor.

"'Rents are 'ere kids. Now scram so I can get a-cleanin'!"

Kuki's stammers were drowned out by a unanimous "YAYYY!" as everyone shoved their things into their backpacks and rushed towards the door. Margie had already forgotten their hanging conversation and even Shaunie had abandoned his masterpiece, a bright orange flower half-heartedly blooming on his desk.

As Kuki straightened her legs and went to get her duffel bag, she looked around to make sure no one left anything behind and realized that the classroom wasn't nearly as empty as she thought.

"Sonya! What are you still doing here?! Aren't your parents here to pick you up?"

Sonya's pigtails bobbed as she dragged her gaze away from the window. She looked surprised to see that she was the only one left in the room. When her brown eyes focused on Kuki, she gave her a shy smile that would melt even the crabby janitor's stony heart.

"No, numb-, I mean, Miss Sanban," Sonya whispered, blushing. "My mom has to work. Numbuh 84's parents will take care of me until they're back."

It took Kuki a minute to recognize who Sonya was referring to. She knew some kids in the class were playing this operatives game, and would refer to each other as "numbuhs". Numbuh 84, or Lee, to Kuki, was a little boy from the next class who seemed to have a yo-yo permanently attached to his arm, and a woolly ear hat that was just as permanently attached to his head.

Kuki liked to think he found it in his mom's attic somewhere, tried it on, and refused to take it off. It was too big and fell down to his nose; she still had no idea what colour his eyes were, but what she found most curious was how a boy like him could so effortlessly forge a friendship with Sonya in a way that she never could. He was always waiting for her when class ended, and they played together during recess.

She often wondered how adorable it would be if Sonya and Lee ended up dating when they grew up.

As if she had summoned him, Lee's furry head appeared around the door. Kuki could hear the whirring of a swishing yo-yo.

"Numbuh 83, c'mon!"

"Coming, numbuh 84!" It was the loudest Kuki has ever heard her say anything. Grabbing her bag, Sonya ran towards the door.

As the bouncing yellow pigtails rushed away from her, Kuki was overcome with the strangest sense of nostalgia and cried out before she could stop herself. "Sonya, wait!"

Sonya's purple shoes stopped at the threshold, and she turned to look expectantly at Kuki. "Yes, numb-Miss Sanban?"

"Ahh…" Kuki stared back blankly. Now what was that for? It wasn't like they were friends; she could count on one hand the number of conversations they had all year.

After a few awkward seconds, Kuki stooped down and folded Sonya into a hug. She was even tinier than she expected.

"Have a great summer, Sonya," she said softly. She didn't wait until Sonya reacted before she released her and stepped back.

"Erm…you too, numb-, I mean, Miss Sanban," Sonya looked startled, and then, like lightning, a huge grin spread across her face. She opened her mouth, and for a moment it looked like she was going to say something more, but then she spun on her heels and ran after Lee.

"Bye numbuh 3!" Kuki heard Lee's drawl ringing down the corridor, and was almost tempted to see who he was yelling at. For a kids' game, this was actually pretty interesting.

Kuki turned to survey the classroom one last time for memory's sake – who knew if she would be back next year? - when she felt something soft and fluffy slam into her legs from behind. A thin pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

"I miss you, numbuh 3," Kuki could hear Sonya's muffled voice from where her head was buried in her sweater.

And then the weight lifted, and Sonya was gone.

.

It could practically be summer already; even in the late afternoon Kuki could still feel the heat of the sun beating down on her shoulders as she strode through the school's parking lot to the specially reserved parking spot for her boyfriend's plane. The Kid, or Ace, as she was finally allowed to call him after a year of dating, didn't drive; he flew. After all this time, Kuki still felt a thrill of excitement course through her every time she stepped into his flying machine.

As she walked, she contemplated Sonya's unusual choice of words. She was oddly delighted at the fact that they had included her in their game; she couldn't stop thinking about who else they had "numbuhed", and why she was given "3", of all numbers. But something else stuck out: Sonya had said she misses her, in the present tense, like she had been away all this time and had returned at last. But except for a few sick days, she had practically been here all year; where could she have gone?

Kuki shook her head. It probably didn't mean anything. _Sonya_ probably wasn't even aware of it herself. It had to be the picky academic inside her that always had to be right about such things.

She was so lost in thought she didn't even realize she had walked past the designated meeting spot until she was standing right in the middle of it. No plane, and certainly no Ace.

_Really_? Kuki felt a stab of annoyance; she had been looking forward to this. Things have been…distant between them recently, and now that school was over she was more than ready to do whatever it took to get this relationship back on track.

Pulling out her cellphone, she was about to call him when she noticed a text message that she must have missed when her phone was switched to silent for the classroom:

_Sorry babe, can't get you today. Busy._

Well. That was obvious.

Clearly it slipped his mind that she would have left her bike home today, and would have to find _some_ way of getting home, unless she wanted to walk half an hour in this heat. Not to mention, everyone would be off celebrating the end of school at this late hour, and who could possibly be bothered to come back to get her?

She wasn't going to call Ace to give him the satisfaction of hearing her in distress, that's for sure.

Simmering, she flipped through her contacts. Abby, her best friend, would come, but she must be packing for the road trip she had been planning for the past three months, and it didn't feel right to bother her. Fanny…nah, she would make sure Kuki never forgot this _favour_ she asked of her, and come up with some ridiculous chore that she had to do to "even things out". No, absolutely not worth the fuss.

She sped through her contact list, and was saddened to find that it was so short. Strangely enough, she vaguely remembered having lots of friends when she was younger, but they all sort of drifted off when she turned thirteen; she couldn't even recall their names anymore.

She could call her mom, though by the time her mom was able to drag herself away from her office she would probably have already made it home on foot. There was no one else; her dad was on a business trip, and her little sister Mushi, wherever she was, couldn't, and wouldn't be of much help anyway.

As her thumb hovered over her mom's number, she thought she heard a faint cry echo across the empty parking lot.

"Numbuh 3!"

Wait, what?

"Sonya?!" Was it possible that Lee's parents hadn't left yet? Maybe she wouldn't need to call her mom after all.

"Numbuh 3!" There it was again. If she wasn't mistaken, it was actually getting louder. She put her phone back into her bag and turned to find the source of the caller, only to be blinded by the late afternoon sun hanging at the edge of the horizon.

"Agh!" She couldn't see. Stumbling forward, she reasoned that as long as she was moving, and Sonya was moving, they were bound to bump into each other at some point. "Sonya! Over here!"

"Hey, you!" Okay, that didn't sound right.

Kuki abruptly stopped in her tracks and shook her head frantically, trying to clear the misty white haze that had pasted itself over her eyes. Deep, masculine, and was that an Australian accent?

She heard footsteps. _Pounding_ footsteps that seemed to reverberate through the asphalt and shook the very ground beneath her feet.

Whoever it was that was calling her, if it was calling her at all, was definitely not Sonya.

Shielding her eyes, Kuki squinted and made out a dark shape that was getting bigger and bigger every second. Deliberately or not, the caller had aligned himself with the blinding sunlight and there was no way she could make out a face.

She was going to get mugged. Obviously the best way to conclude a disappointing afternoon.

Kuki closed her eyes and braced for impact.

.

It didn't come.

Kuki allowed herself a peek and saw that sneakered-feet had stopped two paces in front of her. Their owner was panting; she could feel the air moving in sync with his breaths.

She didn't dare move. For all she knew, the mugger was taking his sweet time.

Eventually, she heard his breathing slow, and it fell quiet.

A beat, two.

And then a tentative voice asked, "Kuki?"

Her eyes burst open.

As the sun slipped into the horizon, and her vision returned, she was finally able to take in the sight of the boy standing in front of her. He was taller than her, and seemed to be around her age.

She had no idea who he was.

Before she could formulate a response, his lips twitched up in a smile that looked almost sad.

"So it's true what they said then," he said vaguely, his Aussie accent clear and prominent. He stuck his hands in his pockets.

Kuki couldn't see his eyes; they were obscured by his thick, blonde bangs. Somehow though, she knew his words were meant for her.

"You're not numbuh 3 anymore."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE KIND FEEDBACK! It is super appreciated and keeps me going. Thank you thank you thank you :3

Finalizing chapter 3 now, so I thought I would post this :D All descriptions, as you'll find out, are based on Operation N.A.U.G.H.T.Y. (can I just say, FAVOURITE EPISODE EVER?!) and I apologize in advance if I get any technological (?) terms wrong...feel free to correct me! On to chapter 2!

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><p><em>He comes on Tuesdays, because Tuesdays are when my mom makes her special lasagna, with extra tomatoes and a dash of chili sauce.<em>

_ At least that's what he says anyway._

_ My mom believes him. I can tell by the way she ushers him into the chair next to me at the dining room table, heaping his plate with lasagna._

_ Sometimes she forgets something in the kitchen and leaves me alone with him._

_ I'm uncomfortable, but my mom doesn't notice._

_ Then again, she never does._

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

Two thoughts immediately came to mind.

One: he was incredibly, _incredibly_ hot, even though she hasn't even seen his face properly yet. The messy bowl haircut that never looked flattering on anyone seemed to suit him just fine. She could see the outlines of his muscles beneath his thin black T-shirt, and his tanned arms ran down to his jeans in sinewy ropes.

Two: she couldn't help but feel offended, like she had failed some kind of test that she didn't even know about.

The thing is, Kuki was a straight-A student. She never failed a test, no matter what it was.

She narrowed her eyes and cast him the most scathing look she could muster.

"Last time I checked, my name is Kuki," she said hotly. "And don't you think you're a little old to be playing with little kids?" Never mind, of course, the fact that she was still hopelessly obsessed with Rainbow Monkeys at the supposedly mature age of sixteen.

The boy's smile disappeared and a hand came up to push his hair back, revealing chiseled cheekbones and eyes the colour of fresh grass.

If he was hot before, Kuki had officially ran out of adjectives to describe how he looked now.

"It's sort of hard to explain…" the boy glanced around, as if to make sure that no one else could hear him. "Look, I know you need a ride, and I have a car. I'll drive you home and explain along the way."

Too bad he was completely insane.

"Are you crazy?" Kuki exclaimed. She took a few steps back, hugging her bag to her chest. Overhead, the sky was the colour of a bruise, transitioning into shades of purple and blue as dusk settled in, but it wouldn't be long until it turned dark, and Kuki was all too aware that she was standing in an empty parking lot with no means of transportation, with a total, albeit cute, stranger. "I don't even know who you are!"

Something in his eyes shifted and he looked almost…wounded. She blinked and it was gone. Maybe a trick of the fading light.

"I'm sorry," he said plainly, not sounding sorry at all. "I'm Wally." Almost sarcastically, he stuck out his hand for her to shake.

She ignored it; there were still a million questions left to be answered. How did he know her name? Who were "they"? Why were "they" talking about her? How did he know she needed a ride? Was this some kind of joke? Were Sonya and Lee involved?

She was surprised at the one that came tumbling out of her mouth, "And what numbuh are you?"

Through his honey-gold hair, his green eyes searched her face. For what, she didn't know.

When he broke eye contact, he let out a resigned sigh. When he spoke, his words were weighed down with pain.

"Four, Kuki," Wally replied.

"I'm numbuh 4."

.

_You know him, silly._

This flashed through her mind so fast she was just able to catch it at the edges of her consciousness.

Which was impossible. You don't forget someone with a face like that.

"With a face like what?" Wally dropped his hand and rubbed it over his own, his bangs sticking up in peaks over his forehead.

Too late, Kuki realized she had spoken that last bit out loud. She could tell he wasn't really asking; it was more to distract her while he took a breather in the conversation, as if he couldn't believe he was talking to someone so clueless. All the same, she felt a flush creep up her cheeks and quickly lowered her head so that her long black hair fell over her shoulders to hide it.

"Nothing," she mumbled, her voice several octaves higher than normal. Her sandaled foot kicked at a random stone on the ground.

"Then are you coming or not?" Wally appeared to have recovered, his tone now harsh and impatient. "We haven't got all night!"

Kuki kept her head down, pretending that she was seriously considering her options though they were non-existent. Either she could stay here alone for hours in the growing darkness, mosquitoes gnawing at her ankles until her mom shows up, or she could sit for ten minutes in an air-conditioned car with a lunatic she knew nothing about apart from his name.

She could probably survive ten minutes. Kuki tried to convince herself that it wasn't really that long. And she might as well admit that she was the tiniest bit curious about what he was going to tell her.

The fact that he was so good-looking probably helped too.

"Fine," she finally said, looking up. "But I'm keeping one hand on speed dial, and if you try _anything_…"

"I won't," he cut her off. He turned and walked back the way he came, seeming not to care whether she followed or not even though he had initiated the encounter only moments before.

Kuki waited till he was someway ahead of her, then tried to untangle her phone from the mess in her bag, where it was caught in a net of earphone cords.

"And if I did," Wally called with his back towards her, an edge of cockiness in his voice. "You wouldn't be able to reach your phone in time anyway."

Fair enough.

Her hands stilled, and she hitched her bag up onto her shoulder before tracing his steps, her phone firmly imprisoned inside.

.

Wally walked through the parking lot and past the deserted school to the pavement, with Kuki trailing behind him. As they got closer to the street, she could see that it was empty of anything that may resemble a car, or any form of transportation, for that matter.

She stopped moving.

The scratching of her sandals against the rough asphalt ceased, causing Wally to turn and find Kuki glaring at him, her bag held protectively in front of her.

"Um…" Kuki tried to remain calm. "Just where is this…'car' of yours?"

He didn't say anything at first, then he gave her a sheepish smile and ducked his head. A faint image of a little blonde boy in orange wearing the same smile suddenly materialized in Kuki's mind, but it dissolved before she could tell who it was.

"Okay, I wasn't totally honest about that…" Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a funny-looking wooden box on which he pressed a button. There was a rumbling noise, like faraway thunder, and Kuki gasped as a huge camper descended from the skies, landing with a soft thud in front of her instead of the crash she expected, propelled as it was by four fire-breathing jets attached to its bottom.

"Meet the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.," Wally walked around the camper to stand next to her. He pressed another button, and the olive-green door before her slid open, soft orange light spilling onto the pavement. "Get in."

Kuki eyed the door warily. She wasn't afraid of flying, but she was used to doing it in Ace's souped up machines, and not this…let's put it this way, she would have been more comfortable riding in a rusted tin can.

It was obvious the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was very old; it had once been green, but had tarnished to a solid black from years of use, except for the door which had been painted and re-painted again. The metal was battered and had folded so completely in places that it didn't seem possible that it was still holding the camper in one piece. The rockets strapped to it spat and sputtered as they were shut off, emitting swirls of white smoke.

"I know how it looks, but it's safe, trust me," Seeing that Kuki was making no move towards the camper, Wally climbed aboard, pausing at the doorway. "They wanted to smash it, but I thought it would…"

He stopped, shaking his head. Bathed in the glowing light behind him he was merely a silhouette, his face hidden in shadow. "Believe it or not, you've been on it before." He went inside, leaving the door wide open.

Kuki had no recollection of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., but it wouldn't be the first thing that she had apparently forgotten today.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the camper, hearing the door slide shut behind her. Her head grazed the ceiling. Wally was at the front, adjusting several knobs and buttons on the panel before him.

"You can have numbuh 1's seat," Wally said without turning around. He must have felt her staring blankly at his back because he continued, "The chair in the middle."

_That makes sense_, Kuki thought, squeezing into the tiny armchair and looking curiously around her. Contrary to its deteriorated exterior, the inside of the camper was brightly lit, and the air-conditioning was functioning perfectly, if the cool breeze on her face was anything to come by. The immediate interior was lined with an odd assortment of contraptions: some were silver, streamlined devices, while others were made entirely of wood and looked as if they were assembled by children.

The front was occupied by the only window and the large panel that Wally was fiddling with. There was a single chair to her right, sat in front of a complicated keyboard with symbols on it that she could not decipher. Two stools to her left faced a bank of blank computer screens. A joystick on each stool was patiently waiting for an opponent to arrive.

Without meaning to, Kuki reached out and touched the joystick closest to her. A fine layer of dust had settled onto the shiny buttons; no one had used them for a long time.

"That was your seat," Wally's voice made her withdraw her hand, even though there was no reason to. He was watching her from the pilot's seat.

"Really," Kuki glanced at the joystick again, regarding the small wooden stool it was set upon. She couldn't remember a time when she could fit onto a stool that size, even though she was fairly petite. But then again, she couldn't imagine why she would ever sit in a flying camper with a joystick either. "And what did I do, play videogames?"

Wally smirked. Spinning his chair around, he pulled a lever, and the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. grumbled to life. "Sort of," he answered.

Kuki couldn't stop herself from gripping the armchair rests as the camper ascended into the sky. Through the window, she saw trees, then the tops of trees, then blackness, dotted with blinking stars. When the altitude was sufficient, the camper shuddered to a halt, and for a horrible moment she thought they were going to plunge to their deaths. Then the rockets roared to life, and they sped away.

At this rate, she would be home in less than five minutes.

Wally pressed a few more buttons and a female voice intoned from the loudspeakers hidden in the corners, "Autopilot, engaged." Kuki watched as he bent his body to accommodate his height as he slowly made his way towards her and settled on the floor at her feet, resting his elbows on his knees; clearly there were no other chairs big enough for him.

It hit her then that the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. had been built with much smaller people in mind.

"So," Wally began. He gave a small cough, then looked around as if noticing his surroundings for the first time. "I didn't do much, just had numbuh 2 put in a new pilot's chair because none of us could fit in it anymore. He was supposed to be here, but they figured…"He trailed off, scowling. Kuki felt his eyes dart towards her before flitting away.

"Then they made us install some of this stuff. I didn't want them to, but they said it was necessary since they upgraded the communication mainframe…and for 'safety reasons'." He scoffed, as if that was the least of his concerns.

Kuki hadn't a clue what he was going on about, but she winged a silent "thank you" to whoever "they" were nonetheless, and took the opportunity to interrupt. "Fascinating," she said, tucking her legs up under her. She was still a little cautious though Wally had kept his promise so far, but curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she wasn't going to get any answers if he carried on the way he was. "But I'm guessing there's something else you have to tell me?"

Wally looked up at her then, and for the first time since they met she had a clear view of his green eyes, though they didn't look quite so green anymore. More like a faded, hazel colour in this lighting. Maybe the green only came from her memory.

She reminded herself that she had never seen him before.

"Ahh…so when we were thirteen…" Wally paused, dropping his head. Kuki could just hear him as he muttered, "Why do they always make _me_ tell her?!"

"Twenty seconds to landing," the bored female called from the loudspeakers again.

Kuki couldn't believe she was actually wishing she lived a little further away.

"Wally!" The word rolled off her tongue, and she noticed how familiar it felt, like the hard spheres of candy she loved as a child. She reached down and grabbed the damp collar of his shirt, pulling him close and pushing her face into his, "Spit it OUT!"

For some reason, this gesture too, was strangely familiar.

The air between them suddenly felt electric, and the irony in which Kuki had been so careful to ensure distance between the two was not lost on her.

She let go at once, shrinking into her seat. Wally crawled backwards on his hands, his legs pumping as they tried to gain traction against the smooth metallic floor.

"Ten seconds to landing," the cool voice was back. Kuki swore it was mocking her.

Wally scrambled to his feet and crashed into the ceiling with a yelp. Rubbing his head, he went to the front, crouching, and pushed a lever. Kuki could feel a lull as the camper stopped again, suspended in mid-air, until the jets turned on and slowly lowered them to the ground.

It was quiet when the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. landed and the final jet died down, apart from the sounds of their heavy breathing. Kuki could see through the window that they were on her street, and judging by the houses in sight, they were right at her doorstep.

She picked up her duffel bag. She wasn't sure what happened in the few seconds that their faces were pressed together, so close they could see each other's eyelashes, but she knew that no one had ever elicited the blushing cherries in her cheeks, or the heart that was pounding so unbelievably fast she could feel it slamming against her ribcage.

Not even Ace.

She needed to get out of here.

"Uh…thanks for the ride," Kuki threw this in his general direction, keeping her face averted. "I'll just be going…" She laid a hand on the door, waiting for him to open it.

"Kuki, wait."

Not reluctantly, her eyes found him, still at the pilot's seat with his hands planted on the control panel, his head hanging between his broad shoulders.

"I don't know how to tell you," he said, finally. "But it has to be done."

He turned, and Kuki saw that his eyes had hardened, his fists were tight with resolve.

"I'll come get you tomorrow. I'll take you to her."

The need to leave intensified. This was insane.

"Wally," she exhaled, closing her eyes momentarily. "Let me out of here NOW."

The door slid away under her fingers without further discussion. She was right; they were at the end of her driveway. She stepped off, enjoying the fresh air and the feel of the solid ground beneath her.

"Kuki!" Wally called out behind her.

Somehow, once she was out of the camper and looking at the mundane surroundings that made up her ordinary life, it was easier to put things into perspective. Much easier to ignore him, and to concentrate on forcing herself one foot forward at a time, refusing the temptation to look back. Whatever that had necessitated the need to_ know_ was quickly fading away.

As she approached the door of her dark house – no one was home yet – his voice reached her again, carried on the soft evening breeze, "I'm sorry Kuki."

She hesitated with her hand on the doorknob as he repeated, "But it has to be done."

When she turned around, the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. had already risen into the air, the rockets spitting out red flames that scorched the treetops.

It wasn't until the black camper had vanished into the night that Kuki realized she never told Wally where she lived.

.

Kuki let herself into the empty house and flicked on the hall light. Kicking off her shoes, she shut the door firmly behind her before leaning against it to ponder the events of the evening. It had seemed so surreal.

She needed to talk to someone. As she made her way to the living room, she took out her phone and dialed a number she knew by heart, waiting for Ace to pick up.

"Babe?"

"Hey!" It felt so good to hear his voice. Then she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him. "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea-"

The rest of her words were drowned out by what sounded like gunshots.

Gunshots?!

"Ace, where are you?! What are you doing?!"

"Sorry Kuki," Ace spoke as if through gritted teeth, "I'm a little busy right now…I'll call you back."

The line went dead.

Kuki hit redial, but it went straight to voicemail.

With a small scream of frustration, she tossed her phone onto the sofa. On top of everything else, now she had to worry about Ace getting himself killed in those dogfights he was so fond of as well?! If there was one thing she _did_ remember, it was that she made him promise not to engage with the pilot that had started taunting him out of nowhere a few days ago.

A muffled Rainbow Monkey ringtone started up somewhere among the cushions.

That was pretty fast.

Diving onto the sofa, Kuki found her phone before the call automatically disconnected.

"Ace?"

Instead of his lilting Hispanic accent, her best friend's scratchy voice came down the line.

"Er…Kuki?"

"Abby!" It wasn't Ace, but Abby was just as good, if not better. Abby certainly wouldn't mind if Kuki started going into details of Wally's extremely appealing physique, even if he was deranged. "Hi! How are you calling me?! Shouldn't you be on your road trip by now?"

"Road trip?!" Abby sounded confused, like she hadn't spent the past three months talking Kuki's ears off about how excited she was to finally get away from her house. "Er…right!"

There was a pause, then Kuki heard Abby's favourite alternative music playing in the background. She smiled; she could imagine the pretty African-American with her signature pink cap in her beat-up van, bobbing her head and drumming her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove.

"Abby's on her road trip all right! Hehehe…" Her laughter faltered, and there was an uncomfortable silence.

Something was wrong; Kuki could feel it. In the three years she had known Abby, she had never heard her sound so…shaken.

"Abby, is everything-"

"Oh there's the highway Kuki, numb-…Abby'll catch up with you later!"

Kuki watched her phone as its screen faded to blackness for the second time that night. Abby hadn't even told her why she called.

Everyone was aboard the crazy train today.

The clock in the hall chimed, making her jump. She listened for a moment; it was only eight.

Was there really no one else she could call?

_You could call Wally._

There was that voice in her head again. She made a face; that was stupid. She wouldn't even consider him an acquaintance, let alone a friend. And even if she had his number, it wasn't like she was going to discuss someone's sanity with the actual someone in question, was she?

Sighing, she set down her phone.

The house suddenly felt too big, and far too quiet. Kuki could hear everything, from each individual tick of the second hand as it went around the clock face, to the dripping of the water from the bathroom faucet that Mushi must have forgotten to shut off properly again.

She turned on the television, then picked up her laptop from where she left it on the dining room table with her cereal bowl this morning before moving to the kitchen. Setting her Rainbow Monkey playlist to play at maximum volume, she heated up and finished a bowl of rice noodles before she decided that she wasn't really hungry.

Maybe a bath would help.

Trudging up the stairs to the bathroom with her laptop that was still pumping out "sappy, kiddy music" as her sister called it, she ran water into the tub, making sure to pour in a healthy dose of her mom's expensive lavender bath oil that was reserved for special occasions.

If her mom asked, Kuki would say it's the end of the school year, and she deserved a treat.

Forty-five minutes later, she stepped out in her nightdress and a towel around her hair and went into her room, purposely avoiding the window which faced into the front yard. She flopped onto her bed, sending the sweet smell of delicate purple flowers wafting into the air, the water on her skin seeping into the bedsheets. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend that the entire night had been a dream, save for the curiously flat stretch of grass near the postbox where the S.C. .E.R. had stopped.

The house was still mercilessly empty.

.

At 11:32pm, the headlights of her mom's car swept across the darkened ceiling of her room. The front door opened and closed.

"Kuki, honey?" Her mom yelled up the stairs. "Are you asleep? Have you eaten?"

"I'm here, mom," Kuki called back. "There's rice noodles if you want some."

"Thanks honey," Kuki heard the beeping of the microwave as her mom went into the kitchen. "Is Mushi home yet?"

"She's sleeping over at a friend's, mom." The lie came so naturally now Kuki barely noticed it anymore. "She won't be back till tomorrow."

"Keep an eye on her for me, will you, honey?" Her mom's voice was barely audible as she shuffled around the kitchen, opening cupboards and setting out chopsticks. "I do wonder what she gets up to…a girl at her age…"

Kuki rolled her eyes. "Always, mom."

Her mom didn't mention the flattened grass. Maybe it had been too dark to see.

.

At 12:24am, Kuki pretended to be asleep when her mom came to check on her. Moments later, she heard her parents' bedroom door close as her mom settled in for the night.

.

At 1:41am, Mushi's giggles were swiftly silenced by a kiss as Sandy, her boyfriend, dropped her off at the Sanbans. Kuki made sure she was fully hidden behind the windowsill before chancing an envious glimpse at the young lovers, their arms entwined, the moonlight dancing on their hair.

Kuki sent Mushi a text asking if she needed a way in as their mom wasn't expecting her, and had already locked the doors. She didn't text back.

.

At 2:53am, Kuki sat straight up in bed, her blankets falling around her. She had figured out what had been so disconcerting about the whole experience.

Wally had been wearing black.

_He should have worn orange_, Kuki thought with unexpected certainty as she laid back down on her pillow. _It would have brought out his eyes_.

The last thought that crossed her mind before she slipped into sleep: _Silly Wally_.


End file.
